Category Archives: The Denise Simon Experience

The Other College Tuition Scandal, Give up Custody

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Parents give up legal custody…what? Well, perhaps there is a silver lining in this…no more student loan debt….

Hat tip to ProPublica for great work and continued investigations.

In part:

Parents are giving up legal guardianship of their children during their junior or senior year in high school to someone else — a friend, aunt, cousin or grandparent. The guardianship status then allows the students to declare themselves financially independent of their families so they can qualify for federal, state and university aid, a ProPublica Illinois investigation found.

“It’s a scam,” said Andy Borst, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Wealthy families are manipulating the financial aid process to be eligible for financial aid they would not be otherwise eligible for. They are taking away opportunities from families that really need it.”

While ProPublica Illinois uncovered this practice in north suburban Lake County, where almost four dozen such guardianships were filed in the past 18 months, similar petitions have been filed in at least five other counties and the practice may be happening throughout the country. ProPublica Illinois is still investigating.

Borst said he first became suspicious when a high school counselor from an affluent Chicago suburb called him about a year ago to ask why a particular student had been invited to an orientation program for low-income students. Borst checked the student’s financial aid application and saw she had obtained a legal guardian, making her eligible to qualify for financial aid independently.

The University of Illinois has since identified 14 applicants who did the same: three who just completed their freshman year and 11 who plan to enroll this fall, Borst said.

ProPublica Illinois found more than 40 guardianship cases fitting this profile filed between January 2018 and June 2019 in the Chicago suburbs of Lake County alone.

The process starts in the courthouse.

Nearly all the cases identified by ProPublica Illinois were handled by one of two law firms: The Rogers Law Group in Deerfield, which handled most of them, and the Kabbe Law Group in Naperville. The only case filed by a different firm involved the family of Rick Rogers, of the Rogers Law Group.

*** The college consultant is named Lora Georgieva.

Georgieva runs a Lincolnshire-based college consulting company, Destination College, which offers “strategies to lower tuition expenses.” The company’s logo is a graduation cap with dollar bills spilling out of it. In video testimonials, clients praise the company for saving them money.

She is tied to at least several of the families, as well as to Rogers, the attorney, who is also featured in the video.

The description for the company’s “premier” services includes a “College Financial Plan, Using Income and Asset Shifting Strategies to Increase Your Financial and Merit Aid and Lower Out of Pocket Tuition Expenses.”

Read the full summary here.

*** Is this happening in other states? We will soon know, questions are now being asked in Missouri.

Tlaib’s Campaign Donor has Been Dead for 10 Years

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Dinesh D’Souza was sentenced for a a felony count that was hardly as bad as what you are about to know. He also paid a $30,000 fine.

Just this week, President Trump gave a speech in Jamestown on the 400th anniversary of the first meeting of elected legislators in America. What was hardly covered is his speech was interrupted by a Virginia legislator named Ibraheem Samirah.

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Virginia Lawmaker Connected to Anti-Semitic Groups ...

As reported:

Democratic freshman representative Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) received a generous donation during the second quarter in the name of a man who died more than 10 years ago, a review of campaign and online records shows.

Tlaib’s campaign committee, Rashida Tlaib for Congress, hauled in donations of at least $2,000 from dozens of individuals between April 1 and June 30. One of those contributions was from George S. Farah Sr., a Michigan businessman, real estate developer, and community leader who made his way from Palestine to the United States in the mid-1950s. Farah passed away on Feb. 1, 2009, from heart failure, according to a Michigan Live article published at the time of his death.

On June 22, Tlaib’s campaign received a $2,500 donation in his name, Federal Election Commission filings show. A search of public records, which also state that he is deceased, provides an address identical to the one written on the contribution to Tlaib’s campaign committee. Grand Blanc Township property records also show that the residence located at that address is registered in Farah’s name along with that of his widow.

Tlaib is the sole federal politician to receive a donation in Farah’s name for the 2020 election cycle. In the past, Rep. Dan Kildee (D., Mich.) has also received contributions from Farah following his passing. Kildee, who first ran for the House of Representatives during the 2012 election cycle, was given $1,400 in total contributions in Farah’s name between 2011 and 2017. The two Democratic Michigan representatives are the only federal politicians who received money in Farah’s name for the past 10 years.

Federal law prohibits making campaign contributions in the name of another individual.

“It is illegal to make a campaign contribution in the name of another person and a campaign must ensure all donor information is reported accurately,” said Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust. “The requirement of accurate disclosure of campaign contributors is important to inform voters of the source of campaign funds, prevent corruption, and ensure individuals are contributing within the legal limits.”

Tlaib’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment before publication. A spokesman for Rep. Kildee’s campaign, however, did.

“Gisele Farah is the sole beneficiary of a trust in her late husband’s name, George S. Farah Sr., who passed away in 2009,” the Kildee campaign spokesman said. “Since his death, Gisele Farah, as the sole beneficiary in control of the trust, has contributed to the campaign with funds from her trust. Our campaign’s records have been amended to clarify that the campaign contributions were from Gisele Farah and should be designated under her name.”

Inquiries sent to West Second Street Associates, a real estate investment and development company founded by Farah and run by members of the Farah family, were not returned.

Donations in the names of deceased individuals have occurred in the past. Between Jan. 2009 and Aug. 2013, 32 contributions totaling $586,000 from people marked as “deceased” in campaign records made their way to political candidates and parties, according to a 2013 report from USA Today.

In some circumstances, individuals make political candidates and committees part of their estates. If, for example, a trust is set up before someone’s death, that individual can leave specific instructions for where they would like the funds to go.

George S. Farah Sr. did not appear to give donations to any federal politicians prior to passing, based on a search of records.

UPDATE 2:40 P.M.: After publication, a spokesperson for the Rashida Tlaib campaign returned the following statement, strikingly similar to the comment received from the campaign of Rep. Kildee prior to publication:

“Gisele Farah is the sole beneficiary of a trust in her late husband’s name, George S. Farah Sr., who as you noted passed away in 2009. Gisele Farah, as the sole beneficiary in control of the trust, contributed to our campaign with funds from her trust. We will amend our campaign records and filings to clarify that the campaign contribution was from Gisele Farah and should be designated under her name.”

 

 

bin Ladin’s Son Hamza is Dead

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U.S. has intel that Osama bin Laden’s son and heir, Hamza, is dead, officials say

The officials would not provide details of how Hamza bin Laden died or if the U.S. played a role. It is unclear if Washington has confirmed his death.

WASHINGTON — The United States has obtained intelligence that the son and potential successor of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Hamza bin Laden, is dead, according to three U.S. officials.

The officials would not provide details of where or when Hamza bin Laden died or if the U.S. played a role in his death. It is unclear if the U.S. has confirmed his death.

Hamza bin Laden’s last known public statement was released by al Qaeda’s media arm in 2018. In that, he threatened Saudi Arabia and called on the people of the Arabian peninsula to revolt.

Hamza bin Laden is believed to have been born around 1989. His father moved to Afghanistan in 1996 and declared war against the U.S. Hamza went with him and appeared in al Qaeda propaganda videos. As leader of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden oversaw operations against Western targets that culminated in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and on the Pentagon.

Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 during a raid on his Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound. Hamza was not found at the compound. Letters seized from the compound suggested the elder bin Laden wanted his son to join him in Abbottabad and was grooming him as a leader.

Hamza is one of 11 sons of Osama bin Ladin. Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late al-Qaida leader, has married the daughter of Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker in the 9/11 terror attacks, according to his family. Bin Laden’s wives and surviving children have returned to Saudi Arabia, where they were given refuge by the former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef. The women and children remain in close contact with Bin Laden’s mother, Alia Ghanem, who told the Guardian in an interview that she remained in regular touch with surviving family members.

Osama bin laden son Hamza bin Laden emerges as new al ...

In part from CTC in 2017:

Despite al-Qa`ida’s generally dim view of women, it appears that Usama bin Ladin respected and valued each of his wives. But he was surely familiar with the Qur’an’s warning that, “Try as you may, you cannot treat all your wives impartially.” It was well known that bin Ladin had a favorite. This was Hamza bin Ladin’s mother, Khairia Sabar, a child psychologist from the respected al-Hindi family of Saudi Arabia. The pair had been introduced when Saad, one of bin Ladin’s sons by his first wife, Najwa al-Ghanem, had attended Khairia’s clinic to receive therapy for a mental disorder.3 Khairia was single, in her mid-30s, and in fragile health—an unpropitious situation for a woman in a conservative kingdom where teenage brides are far from uncommon. Bin Ladin, by contrast, was seven years younger, the son of a billionaire, and already making a name for himself as a fundraiser for the mujahideen struggle against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Moreover, by this time, bin Ladin already had two wives. But Najwa, the first of them, encouraged him to pursue Khairia, believing that having someone with her training permanently on hand would help her son Saad and his brothers and sisters, some of whom also suffered from developmental disorders.4

Not surprisingly given Khairia’s age and state of health, she and bin Ladin struggled to conceive. Over the first three years of their marriage, as bin Ladin moved back and forth between Saudi Arabia and the theater of war in Afghanistan, she endured miscarriage after miscarriage. During this time, bin Ladin added a fourth wife to the family—another highly educated Saudi woman, Siham Sabar.5 Then, in 1989, both Siham and Khairia bore him sons. Siham’s was called Khalid, a name that in Arabic means “eternal.” Khairia’s boy was named Hamza, meaning “steadfast.” Thenceforward, in accordance with ancient Arab custom, Khairia became known by the honorific Umm Hamza, the Mother of Hamza. The boy would remain her only child by bin Ladin, but that fact has by no means diminished either Hamza’s importance or Khairia’s.

Hypocrisy at Google Camp by A-Listers

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Google Camp? Yes, at a fine resort in Sicily, Italy. Can you take your private yacht or airplane to The Vendura Resort?

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Scores of A-list celebrities arrived in Sicily, Italy this week for the annual “Google Camp” to discuss the threat of climate change while communing with some of the wealthiest tech entrepreneurs in the world to a posh, seaside resort.

The event is hosted by Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who reportedly intend for the camp to be a “meeting of the minds” between technology giants, powerful business owners, and others who are known to be global thought leaders.

Many guests, rumored to include former President Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Bradley Cooper, Mark Zuckerberg, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are said to be arriving to the multi-day fest and climate discussion via private jets and mega yachts. Others are anticipated to arrive via helicopter from the Italian mainland. More than 114 private jets were reported to have been expected at nearby Palermo airport, where camp guests would be transported to the resort by van. Mega yachts docked at a nearby beach were reported to belong to designer Diane Von Furstenberg, German pharmaceutical giant Udo J. Vetter, Google’s Eric Schmidt, New Zealand tycoon Graeme Hart, and American billionaire David Geffen.

We are told by Beto O’Rouke and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez we only have 10-12 years left before earth implodes to due climate change. Perhaps a few months less now that these A-Listers just added more nasty and deadly carbon to the atmosphere, right?

Here these mega rich celebrities are discussing for three days how to make the world better, protecting privacy and human rights. Google is paying big bucks to hosts this confab where the parking lot and the marina will be full of Maserati SUV’s, sped boats and yachts worth more than $400 million powered by 2300 horse-powered diesel engines. Swell gig eh?

Meanwhile the entire resort staff all had to sign non-disclosures and additional security has been hired to roam the grounds of the resort.

Meanwhile, will any of these attendees challenge Google on their exploitation of privacy as that is one of the topics being discussed? How about the attendees asking Google about using only renewable energy alternatives to power their own DataPlex(s)? Take a look and consider the massive use of power..

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With this elite global resort gathering, are the A-Listers and Google competing with the Davos Eonomic Forum or in cadence to set the power and policies of ruling the world? These titans are part of a password protected Google site that has the agenda and the scheduling of the fun stuff like golf, sailing, tennis, the spas, meal planning and party events.

Check the Instagram feeds, betcha some of these celebrities will boast about their fun in the sun.

1930’s Gangster Body Being Exhumed

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Why you ask? The question has no answer from the family. Rather strange after 85 years.

John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. (1903-1934) was a Midwestern bank robber, auto thief, and fugitive who captured the national imagination between 1933 and 1934. In March 1934, Dillinger stole a car and crossed state lines following a sensational prison break, giving the FBI jurisdiction to join the manhunt. On July 22, 1934, FBI agents closed in on Dillinger outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago and shot and killed him as he reached for his pistol. These files range from 1933 to the mid-1970s, covering Dillinger’s rise as a criminal and the FBI investigation of him, his gang, and other associates and continuing well past his death due as a result of ongoing public interest.

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Criminal Profile of John Dillinger

In adolescence, the flaws in his bewildering personality became evident, and he was frequently in trouble. Finally, he quit school and got a job in a machine shop in Indianapolis. Although intelligent and a good worker, he soon became bored and often stayed out all night. His father, worried that the temptations of the city were corrupting his teenage son, sold his property in Indianapolis and moved his family to a farm near Mooresville, Indiana. However, John reacted no better to rural life than he had to that in the city and soon began to run wild again.

A break with his father and trouble with the law (auto theft) led him to enlist in the Navy. There he soon got into trouble and deserted his ship when it docked in Boston. Returning to Mooresville, he married 16-year-old Beryl Hovius in 1924. A dazzling dream of bright lights and excitement led the newlyweds to Indianapolis. Dillinger had no luck finding work in the city and joined the town pool shark, Ed Singleton, in his search for easy money. In their first attempt, they tried to rob a Mooresville grocer, but were quickly apprehended. Singleton pleaded not guilty, stood trial, and was sentenced to two years in prison. Dillinger, following his father’s advice, confessed, was convicted of assault and battery with intent to rob and conspiracy to commit a felony, and received joint sentences of two to 14 years and 10 to 20 years in the Indiana State Prison.

Indiana Reformatory booking shots of John Dillinger, stored in the state archives, and shows the notorious gangster as a 21-year-old. Records show that Dillinger was admitted into the reformatory on Sept. 16, 1924. Indiana Reformatory booking shots of John Dillinger, stored in the state archives, and shows the notorious gangster as a 21-year-old. Records show that Dillinger was admitted into the reformatory on Sept. 16, 1924. (Photo: CHARLIE NYE, AP)

Indianapolis – The body of notorious 1930s gangster John Dillinger is expected to be exhumed in September at an Indianapolis cemetery but it could be a tough job because his grave is encased in concrete.

Digging up the remains more than 85 years after Dillinger was killed by FBI agents also could resolve conspiracy theories that the man some considered a hero during the Great Depression isn’t buried in his marked grave, said Susan Sutton, a historian with the Indiana Historical Society.

The Indiana State Department of Health approved a permit July 3 sought by Dillinger’s nephew, Michael C. Thompson, to have the body exhumed from Crown Hill Cemetery and reinterred there.

The permit doesn’t give a reason for the request, and Thompson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Indiana health department spokeswoman Jeni O’Malley said that based on the permit, the agency expects Dillinger’s body will be exhumed and reinterred on Sept. 16 – the date listed on the document.

But digging up Dillinger’s grave might prove a difficult task because days after his son’s funeral, Dillinger’s father had the casket reburied under a protective cap of concrete and scrap iron topped by four reinforced-concrete slabs, Sutton said.

“I think they’re going to have a hard time getting through that,” Sutton said.

The reason for the concrete-encased grave was to thwart would-be vandals, she said, citing “Crown Hill: History, Spirit, and Sanctuary” a 2013 book the historical society published about the cemetery’s history.

“The main fear was that someone would come in and dig up the grave and either desecrate the corpse or steal it,” Sutton said. “The Dillingers had actually been offered money to ‘lend out’ his body for exhibits, so they were concerned.”

The Indianapolis-born Dillinger was one of America’s most notorious criminals. The FBI says Dillinger’s gang killed 10 people as they pulled off a bloody string of bank robberies across the Midwest in the 1930s.

Dillinger was never convicted of murder and he was lauded by some for robbing banks during the Great Depression as many Americans lost their homes and farms to foreclosure, Sutton said.

“So somebody who had, as maybe people would say now – ‘Stuck it to the banker’ – would easily become a folk hero,” she said. “He was also known by some people to be very polite even while he was stealing. It’s an odd combination.”

Dillinger was awaiting trial in the slaying of an East Chicago police officer when he escaped from jail in Crown Point, Indiana, in March 1934 with a gun carved out of wood. While on the run, he underwent plastic surgery to alter his face and was said to have tried to remove his fingerprints with acid.

Dillinger, who was portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2009 movie “Public Enemies,” was fatally shot in July 1934 by FBI agents outside the Biograph theater in Chicago after he was betrayed by a woman who became known in the papers as the “Lady in Red.”

Crown Hill Cemetery spokeswoman Crystal King said the cemetery has no information about the plans to exhume Dillinger, whose tomb is an attraction at the hilltop graveyard on Indianapolis’ near north side.

Messages seeking comment were also left Tuesday for Jeffery Scalf, whose grandmother was Dillinger’s half-sister, and for Savanah Light, the funeral director whose name is listed on the permit.